Bomb-releasing folding-wing airplane



June 20, 1950 A. B. MULL souaxmmsmc FOLDING-WING AIRPLANE Filed June 13, 1944 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 FIG.2

FIG.3

June 20, 1950 A. a. MULL BOMB--RELEASING FOLDING-WING AIRPLANE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed June 13, 1944 FIG.5

FIG.4

Patented June 2Q, 1950 AIRPLANE Arthur. B. lt Iulh-Appleton, vvWise. assignomzofronehalf to. JSpotswood 1 Specialty: Go. Inez, Lexinggton, Ky.,-: a corporation of-Kentuck-yq;

Applicationfiun 13, 194:4 ,"Seria l"N:'540,097"

This invention relates to a toy airplane and more; particularly to a toy airplane having-movable wings and adapted to drop'a projectile.

An object of this invention is to provide a toy airplane that may be catapulted or projected into the air by a suitable catapult while the wings are folded parallel to --the longitudinal axE-is of the s tge 2 I. .I f ,I. i H. I

Anotherobjectof thisinvention is to provide a toy airplane-thatisadapted to ascend- --with the wings folded and to descend with the wings extended.

Another object of this invention is to provide a toy airplane made from sheet material that is scored so as to form wing-supporting flaps holding the wings either in folded or extended position.

Another object of this invention is to provide collapsible and extensible flaps integral with the fuselage of the airplane, which flaps when folded form a pocket for a projectile adapted to be ejected from the pocket when the flaps are extended.

Another object of this invention is to provide a projectile having the appearance of a bomb and provided with a split tail adapted to straddle the rudder of the airplane during ascension.

Other objects and advantages reside in the construction of parts, the combination thereof and the mode of operation, as will become more apparent from the following description.

In the drawings Figure 1 discloses a Side elevational view of the toy airplane with the wings folded parallel to the longitudinal axis of the fuselage.

Figure 2 is a perspective view of the toy airplane shown in Figure 1 at a time when the wings are moving from folded position into extended position.

Figure 3 is another perspective view showing the wings extended and the projectile descending while the airplane begins its descension.

Figure 4 is an enlarged View of the projectile.

Figure 5 is an exploded view of the airplane assembly.

Figure 6 is a cross sectional view taken on the line 66 of Figure 5.

Figure 7 is a cross sectional view taken substantially on the line of Figure 5.

The toy airplane disclosed herein is adapted to be projected by a suitable catapult, which catapult may be of the type disclosed in my Patent No. 2,274,208, patented February 24, 1942. The wings are held in folded position while the airplane is ascending or being projected upwardly intoethevairs The-wings arehingedly m' ounted one suitab1e :fiaps: integralwitm the; fuselage and resiliently urged 'intooextendedposition-, so that when the vspeed offithesairplanedecreases, the .wings'care" automatically. extended 1 in readiness fondescension.

A suitablejprojectilegwhich maysi-m-ulate: a bombhimappearance and made from sheet mate;- rial; may'beimounted between the wings during ascension'zin xsuclrs-amanner that when the wings moves: into: extended? position; 2 thei proj ectile *is liberated and permittedrto drop to :tl1e:ground like a bomb from a bomber.

Referring to the drawings, the fuselage I0 consists of sheet material such as cardboard folded upon itself, as clearly shown in Figure 6. This cardboard is folded upon itself a ong the bottom of the fuselage. The rear end forms a rudder portion l2. A pair of tongues or elevators I4 are integral with the fuselage l0 and extend at substantially right angles to the fuselage. A strip of adhesive reenforcing material H5 is cemented to the top of the elevator M. A pair of hard cardboard members I8, one on either side, are cemented to the sides of the nose of the fuselage, so as to give the nose added weight and rigidity to withstand impact. Members l8 are each provided with a hook 20, cooperating to provide a. hook or retaining portion adapted to be engaged by the catapult, not shown.

Each side of the fuselage H! is provided with a flap 22 scored at, so as to have an angularly disposed portion 26. This angularly disposed portion 26 is cemented or secured to the underside of the wing member 30, consisting of a pair of wing portions 3|, and so positioned that when the Wing portions are extended, as shown in Figure 3, the portions 22 and 26 are folded upon each other and extend parallel to the wing portions. The wing portions 3| are joined along a score line 32 and reenforced by reenforcing members 34, each of which terminates in an ear or tab 36, which ear or tab is not cemented to the wing and provides a seat for a rubber band 38 used in actuating the wings from the folded position shown in Figure 1, through the position shown in Figure 2 into the position shown in Figure 3. This is made possible by means of the angular relation of the score or fold lines 24 joining portions 22 and 26 and the proper positioning of portion 26 with respect to the wing portions 3|.

Each of the wing portions 3| is provided with an aperture 40 adapted to receive a pin 42 extending through the nose of a bomb-shaped pro- 3 jectile 44 provided with split tail portions 46 and 40. The projectile 44 is mounted between the wing portions 31 when the wings are folded against the sides of the rudder I2, as shown in Figure 1, with the pin 42 projecting through the aperture 40, so as to properly locate and hold the projectile 44 when it is catapulted into the air. The split tail portions 46 and 48 straddle the rudder l2. As soon as the wings spread into extended position, the apertures 40 clear the pin 42 thereby removing the support from the projectile, permitting this projectile to topple out of engagement with the airplane and drop to the ground. The airplane continues to,

Having thus described my invention, 1 claim:

A toy airplane including a fuselage consisting of sheet material members, a scored wing like member movably attached to the fuselage. said wing-like member being foldable rearwardly so as to extend parallel to the fuselage, said wing-like member having a pair of apertures one on either side of the score line and registering with each other when the wing-like member isfolded, and a projectile carried between the folded parts of the wing-like member when the winglike' member is folded, said projectile having a pin extending through the apertures in the winglike" member when the airplane is ascending with the wing-like member folded, said wing-like 4 member when spreading into extended position thereby stabilizing the airplane while descending. Furthermore, the reenforced nose portion prevents breakage and bending of the fuselage when the airplane lands, in that the nose portion has sufllcient rigidity to withstand the impact. Thus, the toy airplane may be used time and time again to simulate a bomber.

Although the preferred embodiment of the device has been described, it will be understood that within the purview of this invention various changes may be made in the form, details, proportion and arrangement of parts, the combination thereof and mode of operation, which generally stated consist in a device capable of carrying out the objects set forth, as disclosed and defined in the appended claim.

clearing the pin so as to permit the projectile to drop.

, ARTHUR B. MULL.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,408,001 Hauck Feb. 28, 1922 1,421,621 Van Etten July 4, 1922 1,842,434 Tyrrell Jan. 26, 1932 2,417,267 Porter Mar. 11, 1947 

